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Home » NewsWhat is the Chinese envoy saying now?
China’s Ambassador Yi Xianliang, much in the news these days over his loan controversy with the Finance Minister, having a serious chat with Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga who also has expressed concern over the Government’s deal with a Chinese company for the development of the Hambantota Port. They met at the Romanian National [...]
Super Group ahead in race for SriLankan
Company offers US$ 5 billion package for partnership By Namini Wijedasa Super Group Partners Company Ltd–a joint venture between Trans Maldivian Airways and the Singaporean ground-handling firm SATS–has scored highest among ten bidders vying for a management stake in cash-strapped SriLankan Airlines, an authoritative source told the Sunday Times. Following at a close second is [...]
Farewell Comrade Fidel: Lanka pays tribute
Cuba’s historic revolutionary leader Fidel Castro died Friday aged 90, after defying the United States during a half-century of iron-fisted rule and surviving the eclipse of global communism. One of the world’s longest-serving rulers and modern history’s most singular characters, Castro defied 11 US administrations and hundreds of assassination attempts. His younger brother, President Raul Castro, [...]
Multimillion-rupee fines on poaching vessels
By Damith Wickremasekara In a fresh attempt to protect Sri Lanka’s fisheries resources, the Government is to impose thumping fines upto Rs. 175 million for foreign vessels poaching in Sri Lankan waters, a Cabinet minister said. Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told the Sunday Times the fines would be imposed on vessels intruding into Sri Lanka’s [...]
Rs. 95.5 million ad blitz to promote new drug policy
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi The Government has launched a costly, 95.65 million-rupee media publicity blitz to promote its new drug pricing policy saying the people may still be unaware of the benefits of the move. The first stage of the campaign through newspapers and electronic media has been completed with the second phase yet to start, [...]
Corruption allegations over NLB tenders; employees petition AG
A group of National Lotteries Board (NLB) employees have petitioned the Auditor General alleging corruption in awarding tenders. In their petition to Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe the employees claimed that the NLB invited bids for designing, developing, printing, bar-coding, supply and delivery of scratch-off (instant) lottery tickets on April 4 this year, although the present [...]
Back to steel houses: Swaminathan
The Government will soon start building prefabricated steel houses for war-affected people in the North and East, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Minister D.M. Swaminathan said.He made the announcement despite a Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committee (CANC) rejecting the ArcelorMittal project and recommending fresh tenders. Construction will be kicked off in Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya, Minster Swaminathan told [...]
North remembers its war dead today
Preparations are underway in the North today to commemorate those killed in the three decade- long war. The remembrance ceremonies are scheduled to be held in cemeteries once constructed by the LTTE across the northern province. Residents of Kilinochchi had cleaned up Kanagapuram and Mulankaavil cemeteries this week. In Mullaithivu, arrangements have been made to [...]
Deaths of two divers arouse suspicion of outdated oxygen cylinders
The deaths of two divers are being probed following suspicion that the Oxygen cylinders they carried may have caused poisoning, Modara Police said. Acting Magistrate Colombo Fort, M. Liyanage ordered that six oxygen cylinders be sent to the Government Analyst seeking a report on whether the cylinders were outdated. The first diver had died when [...]
Lecture on ‘Ancient Anuradhapura: a happiness oasis?’
Dr. Susantha Goonatilake will deliver the monthly Royal Asiatic Society lecture on ‘Ancient Anuradhapura: a happiness oasis?’ tomorrow, November 28 at 5 p.m. at the Mahaveli Centre. All are welcome. Over the years there has been a departure away from economistic definitions of development like the Gross Domestic Product to the Physical Quality of Life [...]
EPF, BoC, Central Bank proxies for Perpetual’s alleged Bond scam: COPE
The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) purchased Treasury Bonds (TB) from the Secondary Market at a cost of over Rs. 2.36 billion from the controversial Primary Dealer (PD), Perpetual Treasuries Ltd (PTL), the face value of which was Rs 2 billion, according to documents contained in the detailed report of the Parliamentary oversight body, the Committee [...]
Rs. 850,000 paid to informant over a year before Ankumbura youth was gunned down
A Sri Lankan working in a West Asian country paid as much as Rs. 850,000 to an informant over a year while he planned the killing of a 23-year-old youth who was gunned down in broad daylight in Ankumbura last Sunday, detectives claimed yesterday. CCTV footage that went viral on the social media show the [...]
18 to hang for killing of Noori Estate Superintendent
Eighteen accused, including the former Chairman of the Deraniyagala Pradeshiya Sabha, were sentenced to death on Friday (25) by Avissawella High Court Judge Devika Abeyratne, for the 2013 murder of Nihal Perera, Superintendent of Noori Estate. A total of 21 accused had been on trial for attacking and causing injuries to the late Superintendent’s security [...]
Lanka’s envoy in Kabul falls foul of SL expats there
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has launched an inquiry into complaints by the Lankan expatriate community against Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Afghanistan A.L.T. Najeemudeen “The inquiry is on but we cannot divulge any details,” Media spokesperson Mahishini Colonne said. Mr Najeemudeen has come under severe criticism by the Sri Lankan expatriate community in Kabul, and his [...]
CEB union pulls the plug on proposed power plants
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) has voiced concern regarding several alleged unsolicited proposals forwarded to the Government on power plants. The plants are being proposed on the grounds that they are needed to negate the impact from a potential 2018/19 power crisis, but the union claims they are being pushed by various parties [...]
Buried NIC cache dates from time of JVP mayhem
The bundle of National Identity Cards (NIC) found buried in an irrigation reserve in the Ambalantota area were probably buried there during the 1980s JVP insurgency, local officials said. The cards, unearthed during excavation, belonged to people who lived in that area, one official said. The Grama Sevaka of Walawethetha East, K.M. Nandasa, said the [...]
Fire safety regulations under intense fire
Outdated fire safety regulations mean many multi-storey buildings in the country; offices, condominiums and apartments among them, may become potential death traps in the event of a major fire, a Sunday Times investigation has found. Prior to being approved for occupation, owners of any building have to obtain a ‘Certificate of Conformity’ from the local [...]
Traffic fines: Another review likely
The decision to impose fines of Rs. 25,000 for seven specified traffic offences is being reviewed again, following protests by some public transport associations. Deputy Transport Minister Asoka Abeysinghe said yesterday the amount could be lowered to Rs. 10,000. Last Tuesday the Transport Minister, the Finance Minister and the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association and [...]
It’s scorpion season – but don’t scream and squash them
Another rainy season has begun, bringing that unwelcome visitor, the scorpion. Known for the venomous sting at the tip of its tail, scorpions cause panic and the immediate reaction is to squash and kill them – but wait, say researchers at the University of Peradeniya – “The scorpion you kill can be a species that [...]
Rs. 25,000 fines aimed at heart of accidents crisis, Govt says
Hard on the heels of a steep increase in fines for seven major traffic offences will come more penalties for errant drivers and motorcycle riders shortly with the decision to further revise fines for traffic offences and expedite implementation of a licence demerit system. Discussions among officials of the Transport, Justice and Finance Ministry and [...]
Farmers aghast at drop in prices
A glut of seasonal vegetables at the Dambulla Economic Centre (DEC) has brought down the prices of tomatoes and chillies, placing farmers in a dilemma. Farmers claimed the price of chillies, more than Rs.1000 a kilogram last week, had dropped to a meager Rs.120-140 and tomatoes to Rs.8 a kilo and that they might have [...]
Exposition of St. Josheph Vaz’ couch courtesy Buddhist prelate
In an inspiring act of Buddhist-Chrisatian unity, the couch or kavichchiya on which St. Joseph Vaz is believed to have slept during his missionary presence in Gurubewilla in Avissawella, and now found in a Buddhist temple in Maniyangama, has been made available for exposition and veneration. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith the Archbishop of Colombo in a [...]
Controversy surrounds the draining of Gregory’s Lake
The fourth stage of the Gregory’s Lake development project in Nuwara Eliya is currently ongoing. Authorities say 50% of the project has already been completed. The Rs. 105 million project is being conducted in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, the Central Province Department of Tourism and the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council. The Sri [...]
Prevention, control: Show of red palms and more to drive home AIDS message
Colourful but very important will be the activities surrounding the commemoration of World AIDS Day next Thursday, December 1, sending a strong message on prevention as well as control of this disease. While the ‘Road-map to End AIDS by 2025’ will be the crucial action-plan which will be launched amidst a large crowd at Campbell [...]
Govt. introduces incentives to ensure victory in ‘Battle for Solar Energy’
Nearly three months after the Government’s ambitious community-based solar power generation programme was initiated, authorities are upbeat about the response for it. According to officials, subscribers to the project have so far accounted for about 15 Megawatts (MW) of solar power. If the trend continues, they claim the target of adding 200MW to the national [...]
Kind hearts and a bedraggled crow
As Colombo received torrential rain this week, humans, animals and birds managed to rush to some sort of shelter, be it under a roof or in the thick foliage of a tree – all except a particular crow. Residents of Thalawathugoda spotted the crow soaked in the rain, unable to fly. They went up close [...]
Photo focus: The highway rape of Htota’s grazing land
Dairy farming and dairy farmers in Hambantota are facing an uncertain future as their grazing lands are allegedly being destroyed as a result of the construction activities connected to the Hambantota – Mattala section of the Southern Expressway. Racketeers are clearing large swathes of grazing land claiming they have been authorized to remove earth needed [...]
